1 . “Have you checked the oil in the car?” my father used to say to me, his version of “Hello, hope you are well.” Sometimes our phone calls would begin with an inquiry about the oil and end with one about the oil.

Fathers have a lot of love to give, but it’s often supplied through the medium of practical advice. In my experience: It’s mostly about your motor vehicle.

My student car—an old green Toyota bought for $500—was the vehicle for which my father carved his paternal affections（父爱）. I bet it’s always been so. Back in ancient Rome, the father would test the son on the state of his carriage.

Why can’t fathers just say “I love you” or “It’s great to see you”？ The point is: You just have to translate from the language that is Fatherlish. Listen closely enough and the phrase love you can be heard in the slightly lengthier “I could come around Saturday and replace the seal（密封圈）around the base of your toilet because I assume that thing is getting really smelly.”

The affectionate phrase “You made my life better from the moment you were born” may be rarely heard, but there is the more common “I’ll hold the ladder while you get the leaves off the roof.”

When I was 17, I went on my first road trip in that Toyota. My father stood on the comer. “Highways are dangerous,” he said, “so don’t try overtaking anything faster than a horse and carriage. And take a break every two hours. And every time you stop for gas, you really should check the oil.” At the time we thought his speech was pretty funny and would repeat “horse-and-carriage” every time I sped up to overtake some other speeding vehicle.

Dad’s long gone now. But after all these years, I realize that had I owned a copy of the Fatherlish-to-English dictionary, I’d have understood that the speech my friend and I so ignored was simply dad’s attempt at affection.

1. According to the author, a typical father’s greetings may start with “________”.

A．Look who it is!	B．Everything OK?
C．Hi, sweetheart!	D．How’s the leak in the ceiling?

2. What did the author's old Toyota mean to his father?

A．A symbol of his son’s admiration.

B．A medium for his paternal love.

C．A sign of a modernized lifestyle.

D．A turning point in the family life.

3. Why does the author mention certain daily phrases in Paragraphs 4 and 5?

A．To show the fatherlish’s influence on kids.

B．To illustrate a dad’s loving concern for kids.

C．To prove the usefulness of a dad’s greetings.

D．To compare different versions of fatherlish.

4. What is probably the best title for the passage?

A．Speaking Fluent Fatherlish	B．Remembering Very Moments
C．Displaying Parental Love	D．Giving Practical Advice